The Joyce Family Foundation expands nursing placement opportunities

Health Sciences

The Joyce Family Foundation expands nursing placement opportunities

New gift establishes bursary to support nursing students with clinical placements.

By Communications Staff

June 18, 2024

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Nursing students practicing clinical skills.

The Joyce Family Foundation's gift marks the second-largest endowment in the history of the School of Nursing.

A generous endowment from The Joyce Family Foundation will provide vital financial support to Queen鈥檚 School of Nursing students amid Ontario's rising demand for nurses. 

The $2-million gift to establish The Joyce Family Foundation Clinical Placement Bursary for students in the School of Nursing will expand access to practicum placements through annual travel and accommodations coverage for select second-, third-, and fourth-year undergraduates, enabling them to gain valuable experience beyond the city of Kingston. 

鈥淥n behalf of The Joyce Family Foundation I am proud to announce a new collaboration with Queen鈥檚 University,鈥 said Sandy McDonald, Queen's Meds '77 and Trustee, The Joyce Family Foundation. 鈥淭his gift is given to support undergraduate nursing students who incur significant costs for travelling for clinical placements, ultimately increasing graduation rates and ensuring our future caregivers can focus on their training and in the communities they serve.鈥 

The Joyce Family Foundation is renowned for its dedication to education and community support. Their gift marks the second-largest endowment in the history of the School of Nursing.

Dr. Erna Snelgrove-Clarke, Lee MacDonald, Sandy MacDonald, Kim van Steenbergen, Dr. Jane Philpott

Vice-Dean Erna Snelgrove-Clarke, Lee MacDonald (NSc鈥77), Sandy MacDonald (Meds鈥77), Kim van Steenbergen (NSc鈥78), Dean Jane Philpott during the gift announcement event.

鈥淭his gift from The Joyce Family Foundation is a crucial investment in experiential learning for nursing students and will enable them to develop hands-on skills and knowledge,鈥 says Dr. Jane Philpott, Dean of Queen's Health Sciences. 鈥淭his endowment will support a diversity of training opportunities, including student placements in community health, long-term care, medical surgery, maternity, pediatrics, and public health. One of our priorities is to have clinical impact in communities and this will stretch our impact, both in terms of geography and fields of health care.鈥 

Despite the expansion of nursing program seats at Queen鈥檚, the availability of health placements in Kingston isn't always enough to meet the needs of every new nursing cohort. Many students experience financial challenges when they seek placements outside Kingston, a hurdle this fund aims to address. 

鈥淐anada urgently needs more nurses. Queen鈥檚 University has answered this call 鈥 increasing the number of seats in our nursing programs and investing in additional supports to ensure that our graduates are ready and able to provide the very best person-centred care to their communities,鈥 says Dr. Erna Snelgrove-Clarke, Vice-Dean of Queen鈥檚 Health Sciences and Director of the School of Nursing. 鈥淭his generous gift from The Joyce Family Foundation enables Queen鈥檚 nursing undergraduate students to flourish by removing barriers to accessing practicum placements across Ontario.鈥

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